Roses are Red
by axelkairi
Summary: Genesis was right. I truly am a monster." But can this monster learn to love? Sephiroth/Original Character. On haitus, but not abandoned
1. Intro

**Disclaimer: I only own things that I create. If I created Final Fantasy VII, then Vincent Valentine would've said "Hannah is my one true love" or a variation after every sentence.**

A/N: Well, I didn't have the intention of making a Sephiroth fanfiction. But my new friend Jessie has a huge nerdcrush on him, and she wouldn't shut up about Sephiroth (or Stephiroff, as she says. Lol love you Jessie! ;D). So then I got flooded with ideas, and that got me all worked up haha so this story was born! I don't know too much about Sephiroth, so I'm using Jessie as my guide to his personality, past, and thought processes. So everyone, if you like this fanfic, thank Jessie! And I will pass on your thanks to her, and she will be very very happy. R&R please! And thank you to all reviewers. People who read and don't review are bad procrastinators, and they make me sad. Well, this has gone on long enough. Time for the INTRO!!!! Woohoo!

**INTRO...**

_INTRO..._

INTRO...

_**INTRO!**_

Sephiroth:

Eight years after Sephiroth's appearance in Kingdom Hearts II (yeah he's in there somewhere). His JENOVA cells have backed off enough so that JENOVA is just a voice in his head. So he's pretty much back to his original self that he was in Crisis Core, but still a little troubled and emo.

So that was a horrible INTRO, but you got the gist of it, right? That's all that needs to be said. Hope you enjoy!


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of it's spinoffs.**

A/N: Here it is. Hope you like. Read and Review!

**Roses are Red**

**Chapter One**

I opened my eyes, unaware that I'd fallen asleep. A small, white butterfly flitted by my face, landing on a flower not too far from me. Birds sang to one another, and the leaves of the tree I was leaning on rustled as a squirrel scared them and they took to the skies. Clear blue water lapped at the toes of my boots from the lake I sat next to. A pair of ducks made their way across the water, followed by tiny brown ducklings learning to swim.

I blinked the sleep from my eyes, moving my hand from my lap to my side. I grabbed the hilt of my sword, Masamune, tucked my legs underneath me, then pushed myself up. I leaned against the tree and regarded my surroundings, scanning the area. _Where am I?_ I asked myself, squinting in the sunlight that reflected on the water's surface. I lifted my hand in front of my eyes, blocking the sun, and let my face relax.

My nose crinkled as I breathed in a tangy scent, and I held my breath. I moved to the side, into the shade of the tree, and looked at my hand.

My eyes widened and I thrust my arm away from me, as if I could throw it to the other side of the lake if I wanted to. And I definately wanted to.

The glove was soaked through with blood, giving off the horrible, rusty odor I had smelled. There was a cut across the length of my palm, though the skin was flawless underneath the fabric.

My eyes narrowed and I drew the hand to my side once again. I should've grown used to this scene by now.

_Haven't you had enough, Jenova?_ I asked silently, making my way through the forest towards what I hoped was a recognizeable landmark.

Her laughter assailed my brain, and I clenched my teeth. _I'll never have enough, Sephiroth. I won't be done until you die._

_Hopefully that won't be too much longer,_ I growled back, emerging from the forest. Jenova said nothing as I walked, but I could feel her smirk. The anger built in my stomach, but I pushed the feeling away, returning to my typical emotionless state. I couldn't have her taking advantage of my weakness again, especially so soon after she'd just done so. It might actually kill me this time.

After walking a few silent miles I saw what looked like a town in the distance. Sure enough, as I came closer, I recognized Kalm. Perfect, that meant Midgar wasn't too far away.

I walked into the town, immediately feeling shut in by the little space in between the buildings. There didn't seem to be many people walking the streets, but those that were moved away from me. People in front of their houses shot me fearful glares, and everywhere I went windows and doors closed. A dog barked at me and ran toward me, teeth bared, but was stopped by the length of the chain it was held by.

I cast my eyes around warily, looking for a sign of a nearby inn. The sun was setting fast and, as much as it displeased me, I needed to find a place to stay in this town.

Finally, I found a place. I didn't bother to read the name; all I saw was Inn, so I sheathed my blade and entered.

The woman at the counter jumped a little when she saw me, and I saw her hand reach under the counter, but otherwise she acted normal. I didn't bother to lessen her fear; I kept my emotionless face on and walked straight up to her, keeping my hand on the hilt of my sword. "I need a room," I said simply.

Her mouth opened, but it was seconds after when she finally spoke. "O-Okay, we have two vacancies. Um, would you rather a room with a view or -"

"It doesn't matter," I interrupted, "any room will do."

She did nothing but nod, then turned and grabbed the key from its hook and set it on the table. "The fee for one night is one hundred gil," she said meekly, her hand moving back under the table.

"That'll be all then." I set the money on the table, took the key, then went up the stairs to find my room.

The number was seven, and it was marked by a tarnished gold number nailed onto the door, about head height. I unlocked it and pushed the door open, then stepped inside. There was a large window looking out to the edge of the city, and the mountains were visible on the horizon. A queen-size bed was pressed against the wall, with tables on either end, and lamps on both. There was a sitting desk near the window, with a swivel chair, and various magazines spread on top. A television sat inside a mahogany entertainment center, the remote on a shelf above it. The bathroom was across from a closet near the door, next to me.

I walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror, checking my reflection.

No wonder people were running from me. There was dried blood all over my face and my clothes were slightly torn in places. Blood was splattered all over me, and in some places it was still relatively wet; it must've been dripping on the ground as I walked.

I felt a pang in my chest as I looked at myself, and I winced and looked away. I sighed heavily and walked back into the room, where I removed my coat and sheath, laying it on the bed before I sat down on the edge.

All those innocent people... I could've murdered an entire village judging by the amount of blood all over me. I probably killed everyone who lived there. Men, women, fathers and mothers, children...

Genesis was right. I truly am a monster.

I shut my eyes tight and ran a hand through my hair. I needed a shower. I had to get this off of me.

I stood and made my way to the bathroom again, avoiding looking at the mirror at all costs. I turned on the water to its highest setting and stripped my sticky clothes off while it heated up. I set a towel on the counter and stepped into the shower, clenching my teeth as I let the molten water wash away my sins.

I woke suddenly to a knock on the door, and jumped up. I grabbed my sword, sliding it easily and quickly out of its sheath, and opened the door, my muscles tensed for an attack.

A young woman, looking to be about twenty or so, stood in the doorway, a cart of cleaning supplies behind her. Her hand was still raised as if she was about to knock on the door again, and her expression was that of complete surprise. She had to turn her head up to look me in the eyes, but her eyes kept flicking away from mine as her face went a deep shade of red.

I let myself relax and realized I was only wearing pants. I rolled my eyes. Great, now she was going to tell all her little friends about the shirtless guy at the inn. "What is it?" I asked, my voice still rough with sleep, and moved some stray hair back into place, leaning my free hand on the doorframe.

Her mouth gaped open for a second or two, but she hastily tried to save herself. "Uh-Uh... housekeeping," she said stupidly, gesturing slightly to the cart with her broom.

I sighed. It was just like me to get worked up over nothing but a girl with a broom. "Come back later," I replied sleepily, shutting the door and turning away.

"O-Okay," came her small answer as I shut the door in her face.

I looked out the window and saw that the sun was already high in the sky. I must've slept longer than I thought I did. I yawned and tried to push away how tired I still was. I had to get moving if I was going to make it to Midgar before sundown.

I checked out of the inn, not missing how the woman at the desk was looking me over. Her housekeeping friend must've already passed the word on. I ignored it and left, walking out of the city and back onto the open road to Midgar.

After a few hours and many miles, I came across a wild chocobo herd. Good, just what I needed. I went up slowly, quietly, behind one, tossed some greens in front of it and, once it was off its guard, grabbed its feathers and hoisted myself up. It kicked for a moment, but it soon calmed down, and I led it back to the road and kept going toward Midgar.

It was about an hour before sundown when I came to the city limits. I hopped off the chocobo and let it go free, then slipped in my keycard to open the gates to Sector Six. I was surprised the keycard wasn't expired; the gates opened slowly, as if they hadn't been used in a long time. I was reminded of my time here, how dismal it had always been. It wouldn't surprise me at all if nothing had changed in eight years.

I wasn't surprised. The air was still musty and filled with smoke, and I could recognize many of the buildings. Children sat in the streets and ran around in filthy clothes, and homeless families covered their children with thin, worn blankets while shaking their tin cup at people for change. I dumped a few coins into one as I went by, but the woman was tending to a crying child and didn't notice.

I gradually realized how tired I was as I walked through the Sector. Perhaps it was just the aura of the place, but I felt like I just wanted to curl up somewhere and sleep, and be numb. I hated this place.

A shrill scream made me look up from the trash-littered streets. There was a few little girls getting chased by boys their age, in an intense game of tag. They were all smiling and laughing and screaming, and I almost smiled at how, despite their circumstances, they could still play games and enjoy life.

But then one of the boys pushed a different little girl out of his way, and she let out a little "oomph!" and fell to the ground, letting go of the basket she was carrying.

I made my way over to the little girl, and grabbed the boy's shirt on the way there. "Hey!" he squealed, and tried to wriggle out of my grip, but it was no use.

I glared at him. "Watch where you're going," I growled at him, and the little boy swallowed and fell silent. I shoved him in front of the girl. "Now, apologize."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, looking at his feet as he kicked a rock and wringing his hands nervously.

The girl pushed herself to her feet and brushed the dirt off her dress. "It's okay," she said, smiling at the boy kindheartedly, and picked up the basket that was nearly half her size.

The boy cast me a look, and I nodded. He quickly took his leave and proceeded to tell his friends everything that had just happened while they walked away.

I kneeled down in front of the girl. She was cute, with a round, childish face and big blue eyes, brown hair tied up in a ponytail with little bangs off to the side, and a little pink dress with a cheap satin ribbon tied around her waist. She looked to be about seven or eight, and she offered me a smile as I looked at her. "Are you alright?" I asked, trying my best to make my face look open, at least not frightening.

"I'm fine," she said, her voice high-pitched and full of life. "Thanks for helping me, mister."

I smiled a little. "You're welcome," I responded. "What's your name?"

"I'm Lexi," she said happily, straightening her back as if she were proud. "Lexi Marie Sweep. What's yours?"

"My name's Sephiroth." Please let her not know who I am.

She made a face. "That's a weird name, Stephiroff," she said.

I grinned at her mispronunciation of my name. "Yeah, I guess it is." I glanced at her basket. "What do you have there, Lexi?"

She smiled brightly once again and held the basket out for me to see. "I'm selling roses that me and my mommy grew! Do you want one?"

I looked at the roses. They were long stemmed, with thorns but no leaves, and red as fresh blood. They were in perfect bloom, and had obviously been tended constantly. "Sure, I'd love one," I answered. I picked out one at random. "How much for it?"

"Just a gil," Lexi said, letting the basket rest at her side again.

"A gil?" I repeated in surprise. "Why are they so cheap?"

"Mommy says no one will buy them if they cost any more," she answered, swinging the basket in front of her lightly back and forth. "She says people don't like spending a lot of money on things. She says people don't have much money anyways." She put a hand by her mouth and leaned forward to whisper to me. "And when she thinks I'm not listening, she says that we're lucky if people even buy them anyways."

"Well, I don't see why people wouldn't want such beautiful roses, Lexi." I fished out my pouch of gil and held it in my hand. "Name your price."

Lexi smiled and thought for a moment. "Twenty gil!" she said excitedly.

"Thirty," I shot back.

Her eyes widened. "Forty!"

"Fifty."

She opened her mouth, beaming, then made a face. "What comes after fifty?" she asked.

I chuckled lightly at that. "You know what, Lexi?"

"What?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

"Hold out your hand," I commanded, and she did so. I dropped the pouch into her hand. "I'll give you two hundred gil for this one rose."

Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth in a huge "O". "Thank you, Stephiroff!" she exclaimed, her smile stretching from ear-to-ear.

I grinned back at her. "You're welcome," I said, then shook her little hand. "It was nice meeting you, Lexi."

"You, too!" She jumped up and down lightly in her black patent leather shoes. "Mommy's gonna be soooo happy!"

I stood up and looked down at her. "Well, why don't you get back to your mommy, okay, Lexi? It's getting late."

She nodded vigarously. "Okay!" She gave me a big hug, her arms only reaching to my thighs. I tensed up slightly, but patted her lightly on the head nonetheless. "Bye bye, Stephiroff!"

"Goodbye, Lexi," I said, giving her one last smile as she ran excitedly down the street.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: IDON'TOWNFINALFANTASYVIIORANYOFITSSPINOFFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!( screamo version)**

A/N: Well, I hope you liked chapter one! I was really really happy with it. Isn't Lexi adorable? I love her. Well, here's chapter two! I'm not really sure what I'm gonna do with this one, so I'll just let it go where it will! Read and review, and check out my other stories!

**Roses are Red**

**Chapter Two**

I woke to red.

My eyes opened and immediately fell on the red rose in the glass vase I had found in the bathroom of the hotel I was staying in. It was just as beautiful as it had been last night, when I bought it for a whole pouch of gil.

I sat up and blinked the sleep out of my eyes. Why had I felt the need to be so nice to that girl? It was unlike me. It was unlike the behavior of a monster.

A monster would scare her. A monster would hurt her. A monster wouldn't have even looked twice when that boy had knocked her down.

And what had I done? I'd embarrassed the boy, talked to the girl, and given her a ridiculous amount of money for one flower.

I may not be a monster, but I sure am crazy.

I sighed. Who was I kidding? I would always be a monster. Nothing I could ever do would change that.

I pushed myself up and carelessly tossed the remote I'd fallen asleep with onto the bed, making my way to the mirror. The hyper-sensitive device hit the mattress in such a way that the power button for the television was hit, and the TV snapped into life, stuck on the everlasting Channel 7 News Broadcast.

_"And that is your throat cancer update. Tune in next week for more information."_

_"This whole ordeal is really horrible isn't it, Ted?"_

_"Yes, it is, Diane."_

I rolled my eyes. I could hear the fake sympathy in their voices. They couldn't care less about the topics they were discussing. All that mattered to them was getting back home after their news hour, eating ramen, and going to sleep, dreaming of the day they'd finally get a better job.

_"Well, on another note, all of you won't believe who is visiting us. Sephiroth has decided to come to Midgar again! Apparently he didn't cause our city enough greif when he was last here. There have been many sightings of the "man in the black cape" throughout Sector Six, so those around that area, keep your children inside, and your cell phones in your pockets. We're not quite sure why this menace has returned to our city, but doubtless his motives aren't good. Until further notice, keep looking over your shoulder, 'cause this murderer could be anywhere -"_

Her voice was cut off by the sound of the TV being stabbed.

I let go of the hilt of Masamune, the sword stuck deep inside the black box, and fell back on the bed.

_"...grief..."_

_"...menace..."_

_"...murderer..."_

I closed my eyes, wishing my thoughts would disappear into darkness, like the moldy ceiling of this room.

_"...keep your children inside..."_

I surprised myself by thinking of Lexi. What if her mother had been watching that broadcast? Would she keep her daughter in the house? I felt a small pain in my chest at the thought of not being able to see that little girl again. She'd made me smile. It'd been a long time since I'd really smiled...

_"...man in the black cape..."_

I let out a chuckle. That was what Cloud had called me when he was searching for me, as did everyone else. I guess it had been sort of refreshing not to be known by my name.

Cloud... I wonder what happened to him. What would he think if he knew I was still alive? Would he try and find me again? Bring together his old team and try and kill me? Perhaps.

I turned my head and opened my eyes, and found them resting on the rose once more. What was I going to do with this hideously expensive rose? I couldn't just keep it; how would I keep it alive? I couldn't very well give it to anyone, first of all because I didn't _know_ anyone. Second, they'd either run away screaming or take it as a token of affection, and I wanted neither of those things to happen.

But... perhaps I _could_ give it to someone. In a sense.

I got up and plucked the rose out of the vase, running the stem through my fingers as I walked to dry it. I pulled Masamune out of the television and slid it into its sheath, then walked out of the hotel. I had a long way to go, and I wanted to start as soon as possible.

I dropped a few gil on the counter as I left, avoiding eye contact with the man behind it. I kept the key, though, and I could hear him yelling at me for it as I walked outside. Who knows if there were any hotels that would let me stay there besides this one? I'd better stay here until things started looking better.

_If_ things started looking better.

When I shut the door behind me - I heard a thunk as the man behind the counter ran into it, trying to get the key back - I wasn't at all surprised. The streets were empty, the only sound was a cat yowling somewhere along the street.

"Hey, you!"

Turns out the cat wasn't the only sound. I turned around, stopping myself from heaving a heavy sigh at the sound of the man's voice. No doubt he was drunk. And at ten in the morning? This city really hadn't changed at all.

The man was an obvious drunk, and looked like he'd been at the bar all night. He'd probably passed out on the table and had just got thrown out. He had a friend with him who looked slightly less drunk, but a little heftier, in terms of pounds, not muscle. There was a woman with them, very skinny, her skin nearly hanging off her arms. She had a lot of eye makeup on, and red lipstick in contrast to her white blonde hair. She clung desperately to the arm of the man who spoke, and seemed to laugh at everything about him.

One word came to my mind when I looked at her: _Whore._

"What do you want?" I asked the man, letting go of my sword to show that he was no threat to me. It felt strage just having my hands limp at my sides; it was habit to grip the hilt of my sword with every movement I made.

"You're that man in the black cape, aren't ya?" he asked, pointing a shaking, hairy finger at me, stumbling a little and making the whore on his arm laugh and set him up right. "Sephiroth, right?"

"That's me," I replied monotonically. My hand twitched instinctively toward Masamune, but I stepped forward with my right foot, hiding the action while still looking threatening. "What's it to you?"

"I'll tell ya what it is to me," he said, then cut himself off in a coughing fit, soon silenced by a burning cigarette in his mouth.

His friend stepped forward. "Why the hell'd you come back, you insane sonofabitch?" he growled, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

"That's for me to know," I answered, standing my ground, even as they came toward me. My fingers were itching to grab my sword, and half of my willpower was dedicated to keeping them at my side. "It's not your problem, so why don't you -"

"Damn well, it's our problem!" the first man yelled, making the woman let go of him, but still trail faithfully behind. Now the question crossed my mind: _Whore or girlfriend?_ I pushed the thought out of my head. _Either way, it's pathetic._ "You try and destroy the world, so we kill ya. You try it again, and we kill ya! And guess what happens when you try _again_?"

I sighed and opened my mouth to give a cringe-worthy answer, but he cut me off.

"We kill ya!" he finished, then took a long drag on his cigarette while his friend and whore/girlfriend laughed.

"Is that so?" I glared at the man and curled my fingers to make a fist. It was getting harder and harder to keep my hand at my side, so hard that I had to clamp it against my hip. The sheath was pressed between my side and my wrist, and I was struck by the urge to cut this man into pieces.

_Feed the monster..._

Her voice sounded as clear as if she'd whispered in my ear. "Stay out of this, Jenova," I muttered under my breath, teeth clenched. The last thing I needed right now was _her_ butting in.

She didn't answer, only laughed her cruel, merciless laugh, coupled with the roaring laughter and sharp giggles of the people in front of me. I could feel her trying to take advantage of my anger; her influence was already starting to make my fist shake.

Apparently the man with the cigarette noticed this. "What, are you trying to freak me out now?" He let out a humorless laugh that I'm sure was supposed to sound superior, but didn't quite reach it. After all, nothing was superior to me. "Well, it's not gonna work, bud. I'm gonna get you outta here, one way or another." He slammed his fist into his hand for emphasis, and I nearly burst out laughing. This idiot drunk honestly thought he could take me? What a joke.

Fine, I'd humor him. _That's more like it_, Jenova cooed in my head, but I ignored her. "See if you can," I said, my mouth involuntarily curving up into a smirk. I was instantly filled with memories of battle, of blood and screams. It sickened and excited me at the same time.

The man scowled before dropping his cigarette and stomping it into the cement with the heel of his shoe. He stalked toward me, pulling his sleeves up, even though it was a pointless act. "I'm gonna enjoy this," he muttered, then aimed a fist at my chin.

I rocked back on my heels and his fist ran in a circle above my head. I grabbed his wrist and stepped forward, using his momentum to my advantage, then flipped him over my shoulder, letting go while he was in the air. He went flying across the square, landing harshly on an abandoned lemonade stand, filling the air with cracks and a resonating _boom_ as the wood splintered to the ground around him. His head lolled back as he fell unconscious.

His friend wasted no time rushing at me, ignoring the warning of the whore: "Ron, no!" I easily moved to the side and tripped him, grabbing the neck of his shirt as he went down in front of me. I held him up above the ground and ground my fingernails into the palm of my left hand. Jenova was really trying to get me to draw my sword, and it was working. I couldn't let her win.

The muscles tensed and tight in my arm, I brought my fist in front of his nose. The blonde whore wept fearfully and ran away; as if I would have hurt her. Then again, with my lapse in control, who knows?

And then I felt it. Or rather, her. I let out a groan through my teeth and dug my nails into my palm until I could feel muscle under my fingers and blood on my skin. _No!_ It was all I could think. _No! No! No..._

She laughed, a witch-like cackle that made me want to cover my ears, even though it wouldn't help in the slightest.

And then her laughter was broken into pieces by the sweetest sound I'd ever heard.

"Mister Stephiroff!"


End file.
